Gosh, how fast can 4 days go? We made our way to the Residence Inn about 5 miles from the Wharf area of Newport. Lots of fun things to see and do there and since we had so much time we tried not to get in a hurry about anything.
The most unusual aspect of Newport are all the Mansions that exist. The real deal. Not only magnificent, but really beautiful. Built in the Gilded Age by the "Captains of Commerce." Think Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, the Waltons,etc. in the 1800's. They lived in New York or elsewhere for 9 months of the year amassing great fortunes, and then moved to Newport for the summer. Their families lived a life of luxury, especially the children. The wives were the CEO's of the house which was quite an organization in itself with all the staff required to operate the house. Not to mention she may have 7 changes of clothes during the day for the various activities like riding, tennis, tea and entertaining. One can only imagine how stressful that might be.
There is a 3-mile trail called "Cliff's Walk" that can be walked along the coastline where the mansions overlook the ocean. Cool, misty day made it seem very "New Englandish." We toured the Vanderbilt mansion ("The Breakers") and one other. We sorta had the picture down after that, though there are many others that could be toured. Additionally, there are still mansions where people live today - obviously off limits to tourists.
Day #2 (Friday) we had wanted to take a ferry trip out to some island in the area, but rain had moved in overnight and rained most of the day. So, we went to Plan B. Took the "Ocean Drive" around the perimeter of Newport which was beautiful. We drove to Ft. Adams which is an historical part of the War of 1812. We looked at it from the outside and moved along. Someone had mentioned the Eisenhower House that was close by and drove out to it. Only one problem. It isn't open to the public. Used for private functions like weddings. Pretty sure the lady there thought we were crazy when we drove up to the front door and walked up on the porch.
The International Tennis Hall of Fame was our next destination. (See rainy days are okay.) Think Cooperstown and Canton except for everyone that's ever played tennis. Plus they have grass courts on site there and play an annual ATP tournament not to mention all the local tennis tourneys. It was really fascinating. Far more than I imagined. Great displays of all the people who are inductees with video boards that are self-guided. Lots of rooms set up with historic types of equipment and "outfits" that have evolved over the years. Okay, I'm not presenting this as very exhilarating, but if you're ever in the area, check it out. Four stars.
That night we decided to do a nice dinner...and no seafood. Gils and fins were starting to sprout on us. So we went to a really nice steak restaurant called "22 Bowen" on the Bowen Wharf and not named for the Boarding House I lived in Austin...that would be the Bowen House. And we dun good on dinner. Each had a steak we loved with some good fresh spinach and a little mac and cheese thrown in for good measure. Now all we needed was a sunny day for our last full day there.
And we got it. And actually the rain had worked to our advantage, because the location we thought we'd catch this ferry was really not operating until late June. Thus, we were able to get to this other location - Pt. Judith - by 10:30 Saturday morning to catch the ferry to Block Island. High speed ferry took only 30 minutes to get there, but was adventuresome in that it was high speed with a little choppy water. But, not Barking Crab choppy. :) Thank goodness.
Block Island is this 10 square mile island...that would be, I'd say, 2 miles wide by 5 miles long. So we'd seen the map of Block Island, it's roads around the perimeter, up the middle, various cross roads, etc. Someone had said, oh it's flat land so you can ride bikes all over. Plus there's mopeds/scooters you can rent. Once we got there and started walking a ways, we realized we needed some form of transportation. The terrain was actually very hilly. The guy that said it was flat must have been smoking something. Bikes were not going to do it going up all the hills. Mopeds were definitely a possibility, though we ain't kids any more so that appeared a little dicey. Then we saw it.
A Smart Car. One of the rental places had stashed behind their lot some Smart Cars. $25/hr for 3 hours. OUTSTANDING. We had motorized transportation, plus it was comfortable, had a radio and a convertible top. Now, that is the way to see an island. Had a great 3 hours scooting around in that. Had to replace the gas. Took one gallon. Went to really good restaurant for lunch on the far side of the island called The Oar. Cindy with one more lobster roll. I had some blackened mahi mahi, which I'm sure they had caught earlier that day in Hawai'i.
Caught our ferry back to Newport at 4:30. Went exploring down some little back streets of Newport and came across a neighborhood Pub. Really was. 3 TV's in the place all showing Futbol. Headed back to the hotel with plenty of time to leisurely pack and get ready for early Sunday flight from Providence.
Only one thing unexpectedly happened. Texas played Boston College in baseball Saturday Night, was not on tv, but was on an internet website and they played for a while longer than one would expect. Let's just say that I gave myself a 1:00 a.m. curfew for a game that began at 7 p.m. so that I could get 4 hours sleep. Thus, I got to see up to the beginning of the 22nd inning. OMG. It was mesmerizing. The opposing pitchers were mowing down batters one after the other. (And just now in real time, Texas scores EIGHT in the bottom of the 9th to eliminate the Army Black Knights and advance to the Super Regionals).
At any rate, one of the beauties of flying Southwest Airlines across the country is that you have plenty of opportunity to sleep and we did. And we made it. All flights were on time, going and coming.
Lots of catch up on the trip. So, probably will have a couple of more posts maybe. And my pictures. Got a gazillion. As always, you don't have to look at them, but hey, if you read all my crap, you probably want to see what the heck I was really talking about.
Love to all and see you soon.
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